Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council will seek a meeting with Northern Health and Social Care Trust’s chief executive to discuss the potential removal of general surgery services at Causeway Hospital.
At a full council meeting on Tuesday, September 3, DUP Councillor Mervyn Storey said the hospital “yet again has another removal of services”, following news that the Trust had opened a a public consultation on proposals to transform general surgery services.
“It seems as though when the A26 was built has only got one carriage that goes to Antrim,” Cllr Storey said. “And it doesn’t seem that anything can come north from Antrim, because we have seen maternity services go and we have now the proposed transformation of general surgery.
“We need to look at what has disappeared and align that with what we were told by the Trust, as to how committed the Trust is to the continued provision of a hospital service in Causeway, because it is serious, it impinges every one of us in this room, and we need a corporate response.
“If we don’t collectively make our voice heard in this crucial issue, there [will] come a day when they propose something else and at that stage it would be too late.”
UUP Councillor Darryl Wilson said the council represents the more than 150,000 constituents that could potentially be affected by the removal of services.
He added: “Everybody heard the ideas and the policies of making centres of excellence and having to maybe travel a bit further to get a greater and faster level of care, but that doesn’t necessarily work in every area of health.
“I have been contacted by countless friends, colleagues, members of the public and clinicians who work in Causeway and they are gravely concerned about how this consultation may work out and what the consequences will be.
“Having an emergency department in Causeway Hospital is critical to the council [area] and every resident within it.
“Every member in this room could tell a story or a loved one, a family member, a friend, relied on the expert clinicians that work in Causeway Hospital and there will not be a more important paper come in front of this council within this term, so there should be a call to come back to us as soon as possible to answer questions.”
Alliance Councillor Lee Kane proposed inviting the Trust’s chief executive, Jennifer Welsh, to “hear directly about what the plans are before we reach an opinion”.
The council’s chief executive, David Jackson, said he would engage with Ms Walsh and work up a draft response to the consultation as a basis for the engagement with her.
“The matter doesn’t have a natural home with a particular committee,” Mr Jackson concluded. “But the draft response could go to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.”
“I expect that the direct engagement with chief executive will depend on her availability, so it may be that we arrange a special deputations evening to do that.”